In this paper, the authors are investigating the theory of institutional (school) education from its establishment to the appearance of Didactics as autonomous science on education, teaching, classes. The authors were especially interested in which experiences and which theoretic conceptions existed in the field of school education, which were available and which Ratke and Comenius could have used when establishing Didactics. According to its significant characteristics, this research is longitudinal. The research is based on the investigational method of analyzing pedagogic documentation. Through the cognitive qualitative method the results are explained, commented and interpreted; the cause-and-effect link is searched and found. After the analysis of the relevant pedagogic documentation we can claim with certainty that in the analyzed time period the following existed: schools, school systems (of various organizations); curricula (of various orientations) with the elements of teaching curricula; monologic and dialogic methods; various forms of sources of knowledge such as textbooks, handbooks, literature, immediate reality, graphic means and various educational aids; cognition was based on memorizing, although the use of scientific methods of analysis and synthesis along with the use of systematic observation and experiment is also noticeable.The expertise of teachers was very low. No special schools for educating teachers existed.Teachers were somewhat familiar with what needed to be taught (contents), but a much greater difficulty was defining how to teach the students (pedagogic competence). Due to that the motivation was the external use of predominantly repressive measures with also noticeable incentive measures. At this reached level, along with creative contribution, Ratke and Comenius were able to establish Didactics as a separate and autonomous science on education, teaching and classes.